Chapter 389
Chapter 389
“I had no other choice, Your Highness! When you sent Young Master Shen and me to the White Night Prefecture, on the surface, I was to be the lead and he the subordinate. But Young Master Shen is not one to stand behind another, and we could not afford internal strife. So he became the lead, and I the subordinate.”
“So you believe Shen Lang can annihilate the main Qiang army with just two hundred men?”
“I do not know. But perhaps… it is possible!”
“You are all mad! I must report this to His Highness. His Highness’s sacred decree was perfectly clear: contain Su Nan’s grand army, not annihilate it!”
“Do as you see fit, Princess. But Su Nan has already drawn his bow; he cannot but shoot. We, too, have drawn our bow; we cannot but act.”
***
Su Zhan finished his final assessment. Of the twenty thousand looters, eight thousand had been killed. The remaining ten thousand or so had fled under the cover of darkness. They had all escaped along the city walls to the other side, vanishing into the undergrowth like rabbits without a trace.
“We only recovered three hundred thousand gold coins. The rest is gone! The five thousand who looted the most were trapped in the city by Shen Lang and killed. All the gold they carried must have fallen into Zhang Chong’s hands, likely to be used for his military expenses.”
Su Zhan felt like he was about to explode.
‘I gathered an army of over ten thousand, toiled for so long to get here, only for someone else to snatch the prize. Was it all for nothing? The plan to kill three birds with one stone has completely failed. I didn’t get the gold, Shen Lang escaped, and I didn’t take the main city of White Night Prefecture. Worse, I’ve effectively gifted Zhang Chong hundreds of thousands of gold coins for his war chest!’
Su Zhan asked.
“What are our estimated losses from this?”
“It seems the Western merchants were looted of their entire fortunes, accumulated over many years, totaling over a million gold coins.”
Su Zhan’s vision swam. His lord’s plan to kill three birds with one stone had ended in complete failure. They had suffered a double loss. What should he do now? Attack the city at once? That would mean rebelling before joining forces with the Qiang army. But retreating now was impossible; it would crush the soldiers’ morale. Should they just besiege the city without attacking? That was also not an option. Zhang Chong had yet to secure his footing in White Night City; the sooner they attacked, the better. Just then, a scout reported.
“My lord, Shen Lang and his two hundred warriors left through the east gate and have disappeared from the main city of White Night Prefecture!”
Su Zhan trembled with rage.
‘What is that little viper plotting now? Why not hide safely inside the city? Where has he gone?’
Then, it dawned on him. Shen Lang’s target must be the State of Qiang and its main army.
“Great Master Gounan!”
Before Su Zhan could finish, Gounan Duta of the Great Calamity Temple immediately led two thousand monk soldiers in swift pursuit of Shen Lang. Shen Lang had now made a bitter enemy of the Great Calamity Temple. Following him, Grandmaster Banya of Chu also took off at a frenzied pace. Her target was singular: the Sword King, Li Qianqiu.
Su Zhan continued.
“Su Yong, report this terrible news to our lord. Tell him to decide our next move!”
“Yes, my lord!”
Su Yong mounted his horse and galloped toward the Marquis Zhenyuan’s Estate.
***
The next day at noon, inside the Marquis Zhenyuan’s Estate.
Su Nan held Su Zhan’s secret letter, his entire body trembling, his hands as cold as ice. The news was unbelievable. The plan to kill three birds with one stone was a masterstroke that could have pacified the world. While he couldn't say it was guaranteed to succeed, he had been eighty to ninety percent confident. It was a plan to acquire an astronomical sum of gold, enter the main city of White Night Prefecture with a legitimate reason, and even kill Shen Lang.
But what was the actual result? Not a single one of the three objectives had been achieved. That scoundrel Shen Lang had escaped again, the main city of White Night Prefecture had been occupied by Zhang Chong, and over a million gold coins were mostly lost, with half of it falling into Zhang Chong’s hands to fund his army. One could say he had lost all face in this confrontation with Shen Lang. It was as if Shen Lang had slapped him across the face, again and again. Su Nan had truly suffered a double loss; he was furious enough to spit blood.
Shen Lang, that creature was truly vicious and cruel, to have lured tens of thousands to their deaths so ruthlessly. Though Su Nan was a man of great self-cultivation, at this moment his head spun, and a suffocating tightness gripped his chest. How long had that scoundrel Shen Lang been in White Night Prefecture, and how many heavy losses had he already inflicted upon the Su Clan? This latest loss was heart-wrenching. A million gold coins had slipped through his fingers like water.
‘Is that scoundrel really the son of a peasant? Would a peasant’s son treat gold like dirt and human lives like worthless weeds? Only someone like Ning Yuanxian should be capable of squandering wealth like that!’
Having long held a high position in the court, Su Nan knew just how extravagantly the King lived. The phrase “spending money like water” was practically coined for him. Just how much gold did the State of Yue owe the Hidden Yuan Society? Only the heavens knew the amount.
‘But you, Shen Lang, how long have you been an official to be scattering a million gold coins to the winds? I, Su Nan, could never learn such bravado. As they say, one who doesn't run a household doesn't know the cost of living. And you’ve already spent money like water twice before.’
The first time was at Misery Island, where he used an astronomical sum of gold to create a world-shaking rumor. Shen Lang had thus lured Qiu Tianwei’s pirate fleet into seizing Misery Island, only to trap and kill them. Su Nan had even heard that Shen Lang had used tens of thousands of gold coins to forge a fake ancient gold mine, and that the gold bars and nuggets, melted down to resemble a real vein, still lay submerged in a giant pit, unrecovered.
The second time was now, in White Night Prefecture. Shen Lang had seized the fortunes of the Western merchants, accumulated over years, yet had not taken a single coin for himself. He had faced and led tens of thousands of rioters without the slightest wavering of his heart. An army of that size could have been put to use. It was hard to say whether Shen Lang was brilliant or just brazen.
“I was greedy. Terribly greedy!”
Despite his words, Su Nan did not regret his actions in the slightest. His plan to kill three birds with one stone had not been wrong. A million gold coins would have tempted even Ning Yuanxian, let alone himself. Su Nan let out a long sigh and walked to a large window, gazing at the great snowy mountains not far away.
“Two great losses, two great falls.”
Su Nan muttered to himself. Looking at the majestic snowy mountains, his heart finally seemed to find peace. What was past was past. Dwelling on what had already happened was meaningless. Su Nan spoke to himself again.
“But it matters not. The situation remains unchanged. No matter what Shen Lang schemes, he cannot conjure more troops for Zhang Chong. A mere three thousand soldiers cannot overturn the grand scheme of things!”
Su Yong asked.
“My lord, Lord Su Zhan’s army has surrounded White Night City. Should we attack?”
‘Indeed. Should we attack? Or should we just besiege it and not fight? No, we cannot wait. That would only play into Zhang Chong’s hands. In directing an army, speed is of the essence. The Su Clan must sweep through the south of Tianxi Province in the shortest time possible. Should we fight without a declaration of war? No, that would lower morale. If we are to fight, we must fight fiercely and gloriously. Should we then declare our independence and raise our army? The moment we do, a great turmoil will shake the heavens and earth, and we will light the fuse that ignites a catastrophe in the State of Yue.’
“Is there any movement from Zheng Tuo at White Night Pass?”
Su Yong replied.
“The gates remain firmly shut. There is no movement!”
“What of the State of Qiang? How far has Aruotai’s army advanced?”
“According to the latest intelligence from the Young Master, King Aruotai’s army of forty thousand is moving at great speed and is less than a hundred miles from Aruonana’s tribe. As soon as they eliminate Aruonana, they will march east to join us.”
Su Nan walked to a large map.
“This is Aruonana’s snow mountain tribe, so King Aruotai’s army must be around here!”
Su Nan pointed to a spot on the map. On the map, the distance between King Aruotai’s army and his own was only a few hundred miles as the crow flies, making them seem very close. But for the two armies to meet, they had to go around the great snowy mountains.
Su Yong said.
“Within half a month, King Aruotai’s army will join us.”
“What of the states of Chu and Wu? They will be the biggest beneficiaries of the coming catastrophe in Yue. They cannot just make loud promises and deliver a paltry performance! They must strike first, not wait for me to initiate the battle!”
“The eastern sea is too far from us for timely news. However, the King of Wu seems determined to take the Leizhou Archipelago, and the Hidden Yuan Society is equally determined to secure the eastern sea trade routes. The key, then, is the State of Chu!”
Su Nan’s gaze fell on White Night Prefecture. Zheng Tuo did not have a large army, but his position was like a sword aimed at Su Nan’s head.
Su Yong sought Su Nan’s will.
“My lord, shall we commence the war? Lord Su Zhan awaits your command!”
Su Nan’s brow furrowed deeply as he pondered for a long time.
“No! We will not be the first to move. First, we will hear from the envoy of Chu when their army will move. Only then will the Su Clan act!”
Su Nan suppressed the intense urge to start the war immediately. In this, he acted contrary to Shen Lang’s expectations. Shen Lang had thought that since the Su Clan had already drawn its bow, it could not but shoot. But Su Nan’s mind was exceedingly difficult to fathom. At times, he was incomparably greedy; at others, incomparably conservative. Shen Lang had thought that with Su Nan’s troops at the gates of White Night City, he would surely rebel. But unexpectedly, Su Nan had forcibly suppressed the impulse.
A short while later, the envoy from Chu entered hurriedly, bowing low to Su Nan.
“Marquis Su, the bow is already drawn! Now is the moment to shake the world!”
He had clearly heard about the events at White Night City. With the Su Clan’s army already at the city gates, it was only right to begin the war at once. It was obvious that the longer they delayed without fighting, the more the situation would favor Zhang Chong.
The envoy from Chu said excitedly.
“Marquis Su, let us begin the war now, while Zhang Chong has yet to secure his footing in White Night City!”
The Su Clan’s heavy losses in White Night Prefecture were bad news for Su Nan, but not for the State of Chu. Su Nan lifted his teacup and said.
“There is no rush!”
The Chu envoy said urgently.
“My lord, that old fox Zhang Chong is formidable. Give him time, and he will truly solidify his control over White Night City, and its walls will grow ever thicker.”
Su Nan replied with the same words.
“There is no rush!”